


A Killer Joke

by Nera_Solani



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Crack Treated Seriously, Dark Will Graham, Established Relationship, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Hannibal Lecter is a Cannibal, Hannibal Lecter is the Chesapeake Ripper, LITERALLY, M/M, Murder Husbands, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Will Finds Out, Will Graham Doesn't Need Help, Will Graham is a Cannibal, depiction on a corpse, murderous courtship, there is a drawing, this contains the weirdest art I have ever made, with a dash of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 03:13:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18307043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nera_Solani/pseuds/Nera_Solani
Summary: Will and Hannibal have been dating for months now and everything goes well, until the Chesapeake Ripper leaves a very... peculiar display for Will. When seemingly lost memories suddenly come back to Will from the night he met Hannibal, things take a rather interesting turn for the both of them. Jack is really not having a good week...





	A Killer Joke

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FhimeChan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FhimeChan/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The hair of the dog](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13243206) by [FhimeChan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FhimeChan/pseuds/FhimeChan). 



> A great many thanks to the wonderful [stratumgermanitivum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stratumgermanitivum/pseuds/stratumgermanitivum) from the [Hannigram HQ Discord server](https://discord.gg/nkXaBRs) who organized this swap. Thanks darling, it was so much fun!  
> Also many many thanks to my dear FhimeChan, to whom this work is gifted, for being so awesome and writing such cool stories <3 (I'm curious if you can figure out who I am)  
> This fic is set a couple of months after **The hair of the dog** so it is supposed to be a sequel but can totally be read as a stand-alone too.  
> That being said, I hope you enjoy this weirdness!

They had been dating for almost three months and honestly, Will had never felt so compatible with anyone. They’d kept it a secret until a month after the psych evaluation, but Hannibal was still unofficially Will’s psychiatrist and Will found he didn’t mind. Everything had seemed to work out just great since Hannibal had brought him home after that party. Except that Will still didn’t remember what had happened that night other than that he’d felt happy and comfortable, and that he woke up with Hannibal in his kitchen making breakfast.

Will was at home, feeding his dogs and picking out clothes for that night’s dinner with Hannibal. Their last dinner had only been yesterday and what an amazing dinner it had been, Will was starting to get used to the decadent cuisine Hannibal liked to feed him and he couldn’t wait for their next date like that. He also found he didn’t hate suits as much as he’d used to. Not since Hannibal had taken him to his tailor and bought him a suit that actually fit for once. Before they had started this, Will had been afraid he’d have to bend over backwards to suit Hannibal’s expectations, that Hannibal would try to change him, but none of that happened. Will understood it now, all Hannibal wanted was to show Will the finer things in life, and Will started to appreciate that. Still, something nagged at the back of his mind, insisting that Hannibal wasn’t the one he presented to be, that there was a darkness lurking beneath, something Will should not be seeking out. Will did it nonetheless. He knew he was falling for this man, knew it from the first time their eyes met, the first time he’d felt that incredible connection.

He was ripped from his reverie by the sharp ringing noise of his phone. It was Jack. With a sigh, he picked up. “What is it, Jack?”

“Listen, I know you have plans for tonight, but I think we got another Ripper kill. Just take a look at it and then you can go do whatever it is you do with Hannibal. I sent you the address.”

Will let out another sigh. “Fine, I still got time, see you there.” Then he hung up.

The Ripper kills had become more frequent lately, as though the Ripper was asking for someone’s attention, maybe even Will’s. It was odd. There was something about this development that didn’t feel all that odd to Will, but he just couldn’t figure out what it was.

He checked the address Jack sent him, got his keys and headed out.

Will knew from far away when he had reached the crime scene, because there was blue light flashing everywhere. The scene was swarmed by police, FBI and forensics. Most of them didn’t look twice when he entered the scene under the crime scene tape, only a few paused what they were doing to stare at him as he passed by. He left his glasses on, even though he didn’t need them beyond driving; it was easier to avoid eye contact with them on. It came as a small realization that he never wore them with Hannibal around.

Soon enough Jack found him and led him into the abandoned building.

“I think he’s making fun of us now,” Jack said, shaking his head.

“What makes you think that?”

“Just… see for yourself.”

When they reached the actual scene within the small abandoned warehouse, Will couldn’t believe his eyes for a moment. There stood the victim, held up by cords and wires, positioned in a perfect… dab. The corpse was dabbing.

Will just stared at it for a few seconds with his mouth half open, processing that information. Then something clicked. It was the 1st of April. This was the Ripper’s April Fools’ joke. And admittedly, a very good joke too. Will closed his mouth, trying to hold in the laughter that was threatening to bubble up, but he failed miserably. Within seconds he was wiping away tears as he laughed wholeheartedly, bending forward as he tried to catch his breath. He knew everyone was staring at him, thinking he’d finally snapped and gone crazy, but in that moment, he just couldn’t bring himself to care. He laughed until he couldn’t breathe and when Jack laid a hand on his shoulder asking if he was alright, the laughter finally dissipated and he heaved in huge gulps of air as he collected himself again. Wiping away a few more tears, he looked up to find Jack and everyone else in the room staring at him in shock and concern.

“I’m fine,” he said, with another small chuckle.

Jack raised a disbelieving eyebrow, “Are you sure? You just broke into a hysterical laughing fit in the middle of a crime scene, that doesn’t seem ‘fine' to me.”

“I wasn’t _hysterical_. And this,” he gestured in the direction of the body without looking at it directly, lest he start laughing again, “this is not the Ripper making fun of us, this is the Ripper telling a joke. It’s April Fools’ Day.”

“What, you’re telling me that’s all that is behind that? The Ripper cracking a joke? For whom? I sure don’t find it funny.”

“Well, I do…” Will mumbled, “Maybe the joke was for me…”

“I don’t know what concerns me more, that the Chesapeake Ripper is telling you jokes now or that you seem to have the same sense of humor as him.” Jack shook his head.

“Don’t be ridiculous, the Ripper is courting someone. These latest killings were gifts to his… chosen one.”

“You mean like love letters?”

“Yes, something like that.”

“And who the hell could the Ripper be flirting with?”

“I don’t know, maybe he’s trying to woo another killer… I’m more worried about what might happen if he gets rejected.”

“Great. Now we might have to deal with a love-sick serial killer. This month is just getting better and better.”

“Do you still need me? I don’t wanna be late for dinner, Jack.”

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and waved him off. “You can go.”

Will nodded and was about to leave when a few puzzle pieces in his mind slid into place. As an afterthought he asked, “What organ is missing this time?”

“A strip of muscle down the back,” came the answer from Zeller.

Will gave another nod and took his exit. He got into his car and drove home, mulling everything over. It was like the Ripper knew him, knew his oddly dark sense of humor. A strange thing to consider… Why would he want to make Will laugh? It didn’t make sense, but actually it did. Will tried very hard not to think about that possibility but it kept sneaking up on him until he was parking in front of his house. He killed the engine and ran his hands over his face and through his hair.

 _Not that you’d understand who in this room could ki… But so could I. …he’d understand me, like my dogs._ He remembered now, he’d said that to Chilton. Or rather said it to himself while Chilton had been present. _He hunts, I lure._ He’d been drunk enough to let the darkness seep to the surface, oh god. _Doctor Lecter, would you dance with me?_ He recalled feeling Hannibal’s body close to his own as they’d swayed to the music. It had been sweet, intimate. But there was more. He remembered looking into Hannibal’s eyes and seeing the darkness, the monster lurking there and he remembered wanting. Wanting to keep that beautiful monster for himself, wanting to be by his side. _I can see you now. There's darkness lurking beyond your eyes. The elegance in your movements when you hold the knife. The heart still warm in your hands when you extract it from between the broken ribs. The black blood in the moonlight. It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful._ He remembered everything now. He’d been drunk and called the Chesapeake Ripper beautiful…

And that’s not all, he’d basically waxed poetically about _murder_. Now he dissipated into actual hysterical laughter. Could his life possibly get any more messed up? Not that it wasn’t true, there was this small part of Will that had always harbored a certain admiration for the artistry of the Ripper murders, had even reveled in the Ripper’s kills, seen them for the beauty they were. And now he realized that Hannibal had been feeding that darkness within him, allowing it to grow stronger and to bloom. If Will was being honest with himself, he didn’t really mind. Now he understood what Hannibal had seen in him that night. He’d seen just as much darkness as Will had seen in him, and he’d decided to help Will accept this part of himself. That darkness had been a part of him for so long, but he had repressed it for years, until he met Hannibal, who coaxed it to life. And then? Then Will felt better than he ever had. More himself than ever before.

The hysterical laughter ebbed away into a genuine chuckle. He was dating the Chesapeake Ripper! Yet he felt no inclination whatsoever to tell Jack about this revelation. Hannibal made him happy. So maybe he’d been feeding Will people while trying to court him through murder tableaus… It _had_ kind of worked after all. And the food was delicious, no matter what it was made of. Despite everything, Will found himself to be stupidly happy. Hannibal was getting what he wanted, Will had accepted his inner darkness—and Hannibal’s as well, it seemed.

He got out of the car and walked inside, still grinning like a fool. And _maybe_ a little like a madman.

~◊~

Will had never been more excited for a date than he was then, getting out of his car and stepping up to the entrance of Hannibal’s house. Whenever they had a date at Will’s place, Hannibal brought homemade dessert, when they went out, as rarely as that occurred, neither brought anything, and when they had a date at Hannibal’s house, Will brought a single rose. In the beginning they had been white, as innocent as stolen kisses after dessert. Then, after their first night together they’d been red, as bright as the passion they shared. Now, as Hannibal opened the door with a smile, Will greeted him with a black rose in hand. As dark as the things Will knew about him now, as dark as the part of Will that reveled in every tableau dedicated to him. As dark as what they could share from now on.

He held the rose out to Hannibal with a sly smile and the words, “I thought I’d change it up a bit.”

Hannibal accepted the flower, smiling right back. “It’s beautiful, thank you. Please, come in.”

Will stepped across the threshold and Hannibal closed the door behind him. He took off his peacoat and hung it, revealing the dark blue suit Hannibal had bought him for his birthday. Much too expensive in Will’s opinion, but definitely comfortable. It earned him an appreciative up and down, too.

“You look stunning tonight, my dear, I knew that suit would be worth the money,” Hannibal said, placing the rose in a vase right there in the entrance hall where every visitor would see it.

Will grinned and stepped closer. “You say that every night,” he said, punctuating it with a quick peck on the lips.

“Well, it just happens to be true every night.”

Will let out a chuckle. “You sap.”

Hannibal just smiled and led him into the dining room.

The table was set beautifully as always, flowers and an animal skull in the center. Now that Will knew who he was dining with, he recognized the design everywhere he looked. How silly that he hadn’t seen it sooner.

Will took his seat opposite Hannibal’s and watched while the other man disappeared into the kitchen only to reappear shortly after, with their plates in hand. He served first Will, then himself and sat down.

It looked absolutely mouthwatering and Will asked with a smile, “And what are we eating tonight?”

“A classic Chateaubriand. Pork tenderloin served with red wine sauce and chateau potatoes. There is a common misconception that Chateaubriand is a cut of beef but it is not, it is actually the name of the recipe for roasting the cut. When ordered in a French restaurant it is usually for a table for two. It also happens to be common at French Christmas dinners, but that’s not relevant tonight.” He smiled at Will and poured them both a glass of wine.

Will smiled back and they clinked their glasses together before taking a sip, then Will picked up fork and knife. The meat cut fit with what had been missing from the victim. It was most likely human meat on Will’s plate. Hannibal already started eating but he was watching Will, he always did, eager to see Will’s reaction to the food he made.

Will _tried_ to be repulsed or disgusted or anything negative really, but he only felt hungry and too comfortable in Hannibal’s company to care. What did it matter by then anyway, he’d already decided to unleash his darkness and stay with Hannibal. And the way Hannibal cooked, cannibalism was hardly a dealbreaker.

So, Will cut himself a piece and ate.

It was tender, succulent and simply delicious. His eyes slipped closed for a moment and he let out an appreciative hum. When he opened his eyes again, Hannibal looked very pleased.

“I take it the dish is to your liking,” he said with that smug smile on his face that Will had come to love.

In response Will smiled slyly and grazed Hannibal’s ankle with his foot under the table. “My compliments to the chef.”

They got lost in each other’s eyes for a moment before Will remembered that he was pretty damn hungry and returned to his food.

“So, how was your day?” He asked after swallowing another bite.

“Terribly dull. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you since you last walked out of my door.”

Will smiled, he still wasn’t used to being showered with affection, but being the sole center of Hannibal’s attention was, for sure, quite addicting. “I always look forward to our time together, too. The company is interesting…” He put another forkful into his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the taste and the look of possessiveness on Hannibal’s face before he swallowed and continued, “And the food is to die for.”

As Will took a sip of his wine, he saw Hannibal’s mouth tick up at the corner and surprised amusement in his eyes.

When Hannibal finally remembered to eat his own food, he asked, “How is work, my dear? Anything interesting for us to discuss?”

Will had to suppress a smile at the question. Hannibal was all too eager to have him talk about his own crime scenes. But as things were, Will loved his personal cannibal and decided to humor him.

“Remember how I told you the Ripper killings increased in frequency?”

A nod from Hannibal as he ate, eyes fixed on Will.

“We found another one today. Quite unusual too, even for Ripper standards.”

“How so?”

“The victim was arranged in a dab.”

“A… dab? That strange pose people do on the internet?”

“Yes, that.” Will was watching Hannibal closely now, subtly searching his face for a reaction. “Jack thinks it’s a mockery.”

“What do _you_ think?”

Will gave him a half smile, “I think the Ripper saw April Fools’ coming up and decided to make a joke.”

“I assume it wasn’t particularly funny…” Hannibal said, reaching for his glass.

“No. It wasn’t funny,” Will said, looking up from his food again and making eye contact. “It was _hilarious_.”

Were Hannibal an any less composed man, he would’ve choked on his wine.

“Objectively I probably shouldn’t have laughed, you know, respect for the dead and all that, but I just couldn’t stop. It looked too damn funny.” Will chuckled. “I hadn’t had such a good laugh in ages.”

Now Hannibal was smiling too, like Will’s laugh alone was all he needed to live. “You’ve always had a different sense of humor than most people, my love.”

Will snorted, eyeing the table decor. “Oh yes, Jack might think I’ve finally gone crazy…” He looked up at Hannibal again. “But I’ve actually never felt more sane.”

Hannibal swallowed hard under Will’s intense gaze and returned to his food. “What do you think the Ripper might be trying to achieve with this?”

“He’s courting someone. Another killer perhaps,” Will said almost offhandedly before taking another bite of Chateaubriand.

“Oh? What makes you think that?”

Will almost shrugged, but decided against it. “The increase in elaborate displays, each more refined than the others, the flower arrangement he left at the scene last week, the joke today… That’s courtship. The Ripper is in love. And he’s trying his best to win them over.”

Hannibal made an intrigued sound in the back of his throat and asked, “Do you think it is working?”

Will chewed and swallowed another bite. “It might. I have no real way to tell, since the other person doesn’t seem to reciprocate, at least not in a way we can see. Although…”

“Although what?” Hannibal asked curiously.

“At the crime scene today I’ve had this weird feeling that the joke was for me… So what if he isn’t courting another killer, what if…”

“What if he’s wooing _you_?”

Will nodded. “Does that even make sense?”

“I think it does. You are the only constant in the Ripper case. Besides Jack, but I highly doubt anyone would try courting him.”

That actually made Will laugh a little. “You’re right,” he paused, “I’ve always felt a strange sort of connection to the Ripper. Like I’m the only one who can see and appreciate the beauty and art in his displays. Maybe it was only a matter of time until this connection would deepen…”

Hannibal paused with the fork halfway to his mouth to openly stare at Will for a moment, searching his face. “Are you saying his courtship is working on you?”

Will tilted his head with a sly smile. “Why, are you jealous, darling?”

“I don’t know, Will. Should I be?”

“I think you have nothing to worry about, Hannibal…” Will’s eyes darkened. “But we could spice it up a bit between us if you want. Try out some new couple’s activities? We could go hunting together. And then we could cook our kill together, wouldn’t you like that?”

Will could pinpoint the exact moment when it made _click_ in Hannibal’s brain, because the confusion in his face gave way to something like surprised awe. The mask fell away and he could finally see the beautiful monster in those brown eyes again. It was wonderful.

“You know.” It wasn’t a question, nor was it an accusation. It was simply a fact being stated openly.

Will chuckled lightly and gave a nod. “After I went back home from that scene today, I remembered the night of the party. I remember seeing the darkness in your eyes and loving every bit of it. I remember being drunk enough to let my own darkness seep to the surface… I remember everything.”

Hannibal nodded and took a sip of wine. “I fell in love with your darkness that night, Will.”

Will smiled at him. “And I with yours.”

There was a pause in which they just drank each other in, free of masks and barriers between them and Will had to admit that it was kind of addicting.

After a while, Hannibal asked, “How much exactly do you know?”

Will smirked, “Enough. I know what I’m eating, Hannibal.” He pointedly took another bite of meat and savored it. “May I ask _who_ I’m eating though?”

“The man who was rude to you when we were at the gallery two weeks ago,” Hannibal answered without missing a beat.

“Ah,” was Will’s only reply as he cut himself another piece and continued eating.

Hannibal cocked his head to the side. “You don’t seem to be bothered by this at all.”

Now Will put down his fork and reached across the table to cover Hannibal’s hand with his own. “Hannibal… I’m dating the Chesapeake Ripper and I feel like the luckiest man on Earth. I’m still every bit as in love with you as I was before. Maybe even a little more…”

Hannibal was practically _beaming_ at him as he threaded their fingers together. “There were times when I doubted I would ever get to say this, but now here we are… You really would consider hunting with me?”

Will pulled his hand back and ate the last forkful of his meal. Then he stood up, rounded the table and sank onto Hannibal’s lap, cupping his face with both hands. “I would be delighted to go on the hunt with you, my love.” He placed a sweet kiss to his cannibal’s lips and let his hands slip around Hannibal’s shoulders as he felt arms encircling his waist. The kiss deepened, fingers gently stroked through Will’s curls and he thought, _Yes, this is it for me._

When Hannibal continued to press kisses along Will’s jaw, he said, “Now come feed me dessert in bed and we can plan our next date…”

Something like a growl escaped Hannibal’s throat and with one last kiss, Will stood and went upstairs. Hannibal had no choice but to get the dessert from the kitchen and follow him.

~◊~

Jack was quite obviously frustrated and a little desperate as Will and Hannibal met him at the next Ripper crime scene.

“I told you he was courting someone, Jack.”

“Yes, I know.” Jack sighed. “And what does this mean?” He gestured at the scene before them.

A young couple, both brutally murdered. One of them was holding his heart in his hands, offering it up, while the other was kneeling in front of him, heart bared and holding out a single black rose.

“It means that his love is reciprocated,” Will answered.

“We might be dealing with a killer couple now, Jack,” Hannibal added, standing close to Will.

Jack let out another deep sigh, massaging his temples, “Awesome…” Then he left them alone to bark orders at some officers.

Will used this short moment of privacy to lean ever so slightly into Hannibal, brushing a short kiss to his lips and whispered tenderly, “This is our design…”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it! If so, please let me know with a comment or kudos, these things make me happy :D


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